James 4:16

James 4:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
• New International Version (NIV)As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
• English Standard Version (ESV)As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Context of James 4:16

14You do not know what will happen tomorrow. Your life is like a cloud which appears for a short time and then it quickly goes away. 15So what you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord agrees and we are still alive, then we will do this or that.’ But instead, you talk about what you have decided to do. You speak as if you have the power to make it happen. It is wrong to speak like that. 17So you know the right thing that you ought to do. But if you know that and you do not do the right thing, then you have done a wrong thing.

James 4:16 word by word

νῦν δὲ καυχᾶσθε ἐν ταῖς ἀλαζονείαις ὑμῶν· πᾶσα καύχησις τοιαύτη πονηρά ἐστιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
• ye rejoiceκαυχάομαιkauchaomai · to boastG2744
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• boastingsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• boastingsἀλαζονείαalazoneia · boastingG212
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• suchτοιοῦτοςtoioutos · such as thisG5108
• rejoicingκαύχησιςkauchēsis · prideG2746
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• evilπονηρόςponēros · evil/badG4190

Cross-references for James 4:16

• James 3:14But if you live in a bad way, do not think that you are wise. Are you jealous of other people so that you hate them? Do you want to make yourself important? If you live like that, do not say that you are great and wise. You are not saying what is true.
• Psalms 52:1Strong man, why are you so proud about the evil things that you like to do? Remember that God's faithful love keeps me safe.
• Proverbs 25:14Some people promise things, but they never do anything. Those people are like clouds and wind that do not bring any rain.
• Proverbs 27:1Do not boast about what you will do tomorrow. You do not know what might happen.
• Isaiah 47:7You boasted, “I will rule other nations as queen for ever!” But you did not think about what you were doing. You did not think about what would happen in the end.
• 1 Corinthians 4:7Do not think that any of you are better than anyone else. You received from God everything that you have. So you have no reason to be proud of what you have. It is all a gift!
• 1 Corinthians 5:6You should not be so proud of yourselves. Think about what yeast does in bread. A very small amount of yeast changes the whole loaf of bread.
• Revelation 18:7She liked to receive honour. She bought expensive things to enjoy a wicked life. So now give her the trouble and pain that she deserves. She has said to herself, “I rule people like a queen. I do not live like a widow. I will never need to be sad.”

Commentaries on James 4:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings - Ye glory in your proud and self-sufficient conduct, exulting that ye are free from the trammels of superstition, and that ye can live independently of God Almighty. All such boasting is wicked, , is impious. In an old English work, entitled, The godly man's picture drawn by a Scripture pencil, there are these words: "Some of those who despise religion say, Thank God we are not of this holy number! They who thank God…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings - That is, probably, in your boastings of what you can do; your reliance on your own skill and sagacity. You form your plans for the future as if with consummate wisdom, and are confident of success. You do not anticipate a failure; you do not see how plans so skilfully formed can fail. You form them as if you were certain that you would live; as if secure from the numberless casualties which may defeat your schemes…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-17Verses 11-17 Our lips must be governed by the law of kindness, as well as truth and justice. Christians are brethren. And to break God's commands, is to speak evil of them, and to judge them, as if they laid too great a restraint upon us. We have the law of God, which is a rule to all; let us not presume to set up our own notions and opinions as a rule to those about us, and let us be careful that we be not condemned of the Lord. "Go to now," is a call to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Christians can proudly share what God has done (1:9–10). But they should not brag about their own plans. When people make plans without considering God's will, they act as if they control their own future. These kinds of plans assume that God has no authority over people's lives.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. now--as it is. rejoice in ... boastings--"ye boast in arrogant presumptions," namely, vain confident fancies that the future is certain to you (Jas 4:13). rejoicing--boasting [Bengel].Read the comment

Topics related to James 4:16

• Boasting
• Covetousness
• Presumption

In the dictionaries

• Adulterer
• Amiss
• Consume
• Enmity
• Flee
• Hence
• Lust
• Resist
• Sin
• Unruly

Commentaries on James 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings